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The risk of recurrent diarrhea is not reduced when infants are given vitamin D supplements, according to a placebo-controlled study that included 3,046 high-risk infants, some of whom were given quarterly doses of 100,000 IU. "Although reductions in incidence have been made in resource-limited settings, the disease burden associated with recurrent enteric illnesses remains an immense public health problem, resulting in malnutrition, disability, and mortality among children," the authors wrote.

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Researchers looked at more than 3,000 infants who were given either 100,000 IU of vitamin D3 supplements or a placebo once every three months for nearly two years, and found no differences in the incidence of diarrhea between the two groups. Vitamin D supplementation also did not result in reduced average time until first bout of diarrhea, according to the study in the journal Pediatrics.

A study in The Lancet found that diabetes rates have doubled since 1980, with 347 million adults worldwide now affected by the disease. Diabetes will continue to be a worldwide health issue unless better programs designed to improve the medical condition, diet and weight control of high-risk patients are developed, an expert said.

A multivariate analysis of more than 1,900 patients who had at least one polyp removed during a colonoscopy found that there was a 2.5-fold higher likelihood of high-risk recurrence if more than three polyps were found at the baseline colonoscopy. "Individuals who fit the high-risk profile should be targeted more closely for lifestyle factor modification and be given high priority for surveillance colonoscopy," the researchers said.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a shorter interval dosing regimen for the Twinrix vaccine for hepatitis A and B. The new schedule -- which will be easier on travelers going to high-risk areas -- requires three doses given within three weeks and a booster dose after 12 months.

The FDA has approved a shorter interval dosing regimen for the Twinrix vaccine for hepatitis A and B. The new schedule -- which will be easier on travelers going to high-risk areas -- requires three doses given within three weeks and a booster dose after 12 months.